Bagels with Asiago cheese
Most of you have probably come across this pastry in many of its nurturing variants, but some may not have, so let me clarify a bit about what it is all about. Bagels are traditional Jewish pastries, made from dough that is first cooked, and only then baked, and you are right as Bavarian pastries, but still different and quite a lot. Otherwise, these pastries are a favorite for breakfast and are usually coated with cream cheese and jam or toasted and arranged as a sandwich with fried egg, bacon and cheese. Apart from breakfast, these pastries are one of the most popular for brunch and then they are usually served as sandwiches with salmon and cream cheese, the variants are innumerable, and pastries have become a favorite in every household. So far I didn't even think I would ever make them at home, I have at least 10 super bakeries where I can buy exceptional bagels, but this unfortunate virus made us do what we never thought we would do. The pastries are great and really not hard to m
Preparation steps
- In a mixing bowl, sift the flour for the starter, add the yeast, stir and add water, then mix only until all the ingredients are combined and no traces of flour are visible. This mixture will be messy, but so it should be, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a linen towel, then leave in a warm place to rest and activate for 2 hours.
- After two hours, add barley malt to the starter and stir, then add flour mixed with yeast and salt. Knead a firm dough that does not stick and continue to knead for 6-8 min. Finally add the cheese and knead until the cheese is kneaded into a dough. Divide the dough into pieces weighing 100-120 g, you will get 18-24 pieces. Form the pieces of dough into balls and cover with a napkin, so let them rise for 20-40 minutes, depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
- Spread the raised balls with your fingertips in a circle, then move the outer sides towards the middle and then roll them into a roller on the longer side, fix the edges, and shape the other balls in the same way. Roll each roller into a long strip of 25 cm, then join the ends and press the palm of your hand on the work surface, then roll back and forth several times until the ends are joined and you get a circle. Place the shaped bagels on a baking sheet sprinkled with flour and cover with a napkin, so let them stand in the heat for 30-40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a cheese bowl that can comfortably fit 3-4 bagels, pour 3-4 liters of water, add malt and let it boil. Put 3-4 bagels in boiling water and cook on each side for 1-2 minutes, the longer the dough cooks, the more pronounced toughness so characteristic of bagels, especially for NY-style bagels. Take out the cooked pastries with a hollow image and place them on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Bagels sprinkle with grated cheese.
- Bake the prepared bagels in a preheated oven at 220 degrees and bake for 8 minutes, then rotate the baking tray by 180 degrees and continue baking for another 8 minutes, now they will be a wonderful yellow color. Transfer the baked bagels to a cooling rack and cool. Serve as you like best, and freeze the excess if you wish.
